Deodorization device

ABSTRACT

A DEODORIZATION DEVICE PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR USE WITH AMMONIA PROCESS DIAZO COPYING MACHINES INCLUDES AN ODOR REMOVING CONDUIT HAVING TWO ODOR REMOVING SECTIONS THROUGH WHICH AMMONIA CONTAINING EXHAUSTS ARE CAUSED TO FLOW. A FILLER IS PROVIDED IN THE FIRST ODOR REMOVING SECTION, A DEODORIZING CHEMICAL BEING APPLIED TO THE FILLER, WHILE AN AMMONIA ADSORBENT IS PROVIDED IN THE SECOND ODOR REMOVING SECTION, THE AMMONIA CONTAINING EXHAUSTS FLOWING FIRST THROUGH THE FIRST SECTION AND THEN THROUGH THE SECOND SECTION.

y 1972 HIDEO HASHIMQTO ETAL 3,679,369

DEODORIZATION DEVICE Filed May 11, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS m5 0 HASH/M0 70 NOBUO KAS/IHA/PA O H/O VOJH/A/O ATTORNEY y 25, 1972 HIDEO HASHIMOTO r 3,679,369

DEODORIZATION DEVICE :iled May 11, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS H/0E0 HASH/M070 N05 00 A4454 HAY/Q4 705/ 0 YAS'H/A/O ATTORNEY July 25, 1972 H. 5 HA H ETAL 3,679,369

DEODORIZATION DEVICE Filed May 11, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS /-//DE'0 HASH/M070 M0800 kAs/l HAPA Tasy/o OSH/NO "United States Patent Office 3,679,369 DEODORIZATION DEVICE Hideo Hashimoto, 17-22, Gamou 3-chome, Koshigayashi, Japan; Nobuo Kasahara, 2-7, Omori Nishi 1- chome, Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan; and Toshio Yoshino, C-6 Korigaoka S-chome, Hirakata-shi, Osaka, Japan Filed May 11, 1970, Ser. No. 36,262 Claims priority, 21111236011 7J5apan, May 13, 1969,

Int. Cl. C01c 1/1 2; B0111 53/34 US. Cl. 23-484 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to deodorization devices for use particularly with ammonia process diazo copying machines. As is well known, ammonia gas is used with ammonia process diazo copying machines for developing exposed sheets. All the ammonia gas supplied to the developing section is not used for developing purposes but part of the gas leaks out of the developing section into other sections of the machine and out of the machine. Ammonia gas gives off an offensive smell and has deleterious effects on human beings. If ammonia gas leaks out of the copying machine into the operation chamber, it will be injurious to the health of the operator and markedly reduce operation efliciency. In order to obviate this problem, means are provided in ammonia process diazo copying machines for removing ammonia gas in the machine and forcibly venting the same to atmosphere outside the operation chamber. However, the provision of such venting system has disadvantages in that an additional cost is involved in providing the venting system and an extra space is required for mounting such system, thereby the place for installing the copying machine being strictly restricted.

The present invention has as its object the provision of a deodorization device which obviates the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art deodorization system for ammonia process diazo copying machines and permits to effect deodorization economically and positively without requiring to install a particular venting system.

According to the present invention, there is provided a deodorization device where in a filler and an ammonia adsorbent are mounted in the indicated order in a deodorization passageway through which ammonia gas containing exhausts are vented from the copying machine, said filler being disposed nearer to the source of exhausts than said ammonia absorbent and said filler being sprayed with a deodorant. By this arrangement, over 90% of the odor caused by ammonia gas contained in the exhausts is removed by the deodorant in the filler. This is eflective to lessen the burden imposed on the adsorbent and cause the rest of the odor to be removed by the adsorbent, so that deodorization of exhausts by removing ammonia gas can be satisfactorily carried out. An added advantage lies in the fact that the adsorbent used may be one which is not costly, thereby permitting to economize on operation costs of the machine. The filler and the chemical applied to the 3,679,369 Patented July 25, 1972 filler are relatively low in cost. Distinct advantages can be had if an odor removing conduit is provided perpendicularly and the filler is mounted in the lower portion of the conduit and the ammonia adsorbent is mounted in the upper portion of the conduit, so that ammonia containing exhausts are led upwardly from the lower end of the conduit to the upper end thereof. This arrangement is particularly advantageous in that the chemical for removing odor can be applied uniformly from above to the filler so that stream of chemical moving downwardly through the filler and the stream of exhausts moving upwardly through the filler may form countercurrent, thereby permitting to achieve excellent results in removing odor. According to the present invention, a ventilator may be connected to the inlet and/ or outlet of the odor removing conduit so that a motor for driving the ventilator may also operate a chemical supply pump and, if necessary, a. chemical discharge pump. This arrangement facilitates the passing of the exhausts through the odor removing conduit and permits to vent exhausts with increased efficiency. Besides, the supply and discharge of the chemical are facilitated, with a result that deodorization of the exhausts can be effected satisfactorily.

Additional objects as well as features and advantages of the invention will become evident from the description set forth hereinafter when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the deodorization device according to this invention, with the casing for housing the device therein being partly broken away to show the interior;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the deodorization device according to this invention connected to a copying machine; and I FIGS. 3 and 4 show other examples of arrangement of the odor removing conduit of the deodorization device according to this invention.

In FIG. v1, an odor removing conduit 2 is disposed perpendicularly in a casing 1 of the deodorizing device. A fan 3 is connected on its delivery side to the inlet of the odor removing conduit 2 at the lower end thereof and on its suction side 4 to a copying machine 6 through a connecting line 5 (see FIG. 2). 7 is a motor for operating the fan 3.

The odor removing conduit 2 consists of two portions or a lower minor dimension portion and an upper major dimension portion. A filler 8 arranged on a support, for example a net 9, is mounted in the lower minor dimension portion, and an absorbent 11 arranged on a support,

for example a net 10, is mounted in the upper major dimension portion. Arranged above the filler 8 in the odor removing conduit 2 is a nozzle 12 which is connected by a line 13 to a chemical supply pump 14 which in turn is connected by a line 15 to a chemical supply tank 16. Disposed at the lower end of the odor removing conduit 2 is a drain port 17 which is connected by a line 18 to a waste chemical discharge pump 19 which in turn is connected by a line 20 to a waste chemical tank 21 disposed adjacent a chemical supply tank 16.

The motor 7 for operating the'fan 3 comprises a shaft which is connected, at an end opposite to the end at which the shaft is connected to the fan 3, to a speed reducing means 22 for operating the chemical supply pump 14 and waste chemical discharge pump 19. Provided on the top of the casing 1 is a cover 23 on which a warning device 24' for measuring the degree of saturation of the absorbent 11 and giving warning is provided. The warning device is connected, on one hand, to the absorbent 11 by a line and, on the other hand, to the suction side of the fan 3 by a line. The operation of the deodorization device constructed as aforementioned will now be explained. Am-

monia containing exhausts are vented from the copying machine 6 and sent through the connecting line to the suction side 4 of the fan 3 which delivers the exhausts to the lower portion of the odor removing conduit 2. The exhausts move upwardly from the lower portion and pass through the filler 8 which consists of glass beads 3 millimeters in diameter, particles of pumice-stone 5 to 7 millimeters in diameter or other material having a large surface area and high chemical resistance. The chemical contained in the supply tank 16 is delivered by the supply pump 14 and applied uniformly to the filler 8 through the nozzle 12. The chemical applied to the filler in this way move downwardly through the filler in an orderly manner. The chemical used for this purpose may be a solution of one or more substances which readily react with am monia gas and are highly soluble in water, such as a'S to 10% aqueous solution of aldehydes which readily react with ammonia, or an aqueous solution of mineral acids, organic acids and the like, such as a 5 to aqueous solution of acetic acid.

Accordingly, the majority of ammonia gas in the exhausts moving upwardly through the odor removing conduit 2 reacts with the chemical in the filler 8 and has its odor removed, so that the exhausts reaching the adsorbent 11 in the upper portion of the conduit 2 have had their odor substantially removed. The chemical that has reacted with ammonia gas is led through the drain port 17, line 18, discharge pump 19 and line 20 to the waste chemical tank 21.

The exhausts that have had the majority of ammonia gas content removed by the chemical in the filler 8 are led through the adsorbent 11 where the rest of the ammonia is completely removed from the exhausts. The exhausts that have had their odor completely removed are vented out of the casing of the deodorization device through the sides and backside of the cover 23. The adsorbent 11 is an acidic or basic deodorant capable of adsorbing odor components. For example, a porous amphoteric ion ex change resin in which acidic and basic group are exchangeable groups, such as one of ion exchangers made by condensing aromatic amines, for example m-phe'nylene-diamine, and phenols with formaldehyde, may be used in pellet, particle or sphere form with a diameter of about 3 to 5 millimeters. If the adsorbent 11 is placed in a nonsealing bag such as a gauze bag, the replacing of the old absorbent 11 with a fresh one can be effected with ease merely by opening the cover 23.

It should be noted that the chemical applied through the nozzle 12 and the ammonia gas contained in the exhausts form countercurrents in the filler. By this arrangement, the portion of chemical that has already reacted with ammonia gas to a certain degree comes into contact with ammonia gas of high concentration in the lower portion of the filler 8 and further reacts with it and then the ammonia gas which has now lower concentration is brought into contact with a fresh supply of chemical in the upper portion of the filler 8 and further reacts with it. Thus, the chemical reacts with the ammonia gas in the exhausts uniformly in the entire area of the filler 8 so that odor can be removed satisfactorily from the exhausts.

FIG. 3 shows a modification of the device of FIG. 1 in which the odor removing conduit 2 is bent at an angle of is disposed in a horizontal inverted U-shape, with the adsorbent 11 being arranged in a vertical position in which it faces'downwardly;

The odor removing conduit 2 may be arranged in any of the forms shown and described above depending on the manner in which the exit of the odor removing conduit is arranged. I

The deodorization device according to this invention can be built in the copying machine to form a part thereof. This permits to reduce the space required for installing the device.

What we claim is: 4

1. A self-contained deodorizing device (1) particularly adapted for use with ammonia process copying machines (6) having an external" line (5) for exhausting an ammonia containing stream, said device comprising a casing (1) connectable by means of a suction line (4) to said exhausting line (5) and enclosing an ammonia removing conduit (2) containing in succession a filler (8) comprising a body of inert particulate filler material and a support (9) for said filler, means (12) for applying throughout said body of filler material a chemical fordeodorizing an ammonia containing stream, an ammonia absorbent (11) and a support (10) for said absorbent above said applying means; said casing (1) having a gas discharge means (23) and also enclosing means (3) for connecting said suction line to said conduit, means (3, 7) for driving through said succession of the filler, the applying means and the absorbent contained in said conduit the ammonia containing stream passing through said suction line; a tank (16) for fresh deodorizing chemical, a tank (21) for waste deodorizing chemical, a drain port (17) at the lowermost end of said conduit for collecting waste deodorizing chemical, a first pump means (14) in said casing con necting the fresh-chemical tank to said applying means,

means (7, 22) for driving said first pump means for transferring fresh deodorizingchemical from said fresh chemical tank to said applying means, a second pump means (19) in said casing connecting said drain port to 1 said Waste chemical tank, and means (7, 22),for driving 1 degree of saturation of the ammonia absorbent (11).

I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,244,106 6/1941 Granberg etal.' 137567 2,322,603 6/1943 Thumim e161. -1; 55-163 2,856,259 1 0/1958 Bollinger 23- 4 3,467,491 9/1969 Hardison 23 2.1 3,511,596 5/1970 Adler et a1. 23 2.1 3,183,645 5/1965 Teller s5-'-76x FOREIGN PATENTS 450,308 7/1936 Great Britain 23-2.1 JAMES HZTAYMAN, JR., Primary Ermine i 'U.s'.c1.x.R. 23 4, 2.1, 196, 252; 55-70, 163, 226; 89 G, 94 o;-

3. A self-contained deodorizing device as in claim 1 including a warning device means (24) connected to the casing (2) above the ammonia absorbent (11) and con nected to said suction line (4) for measuring the degree of saturation of said ammonia absorbent (1-1). 

